Mt. Rainier Fundraising Climb

Emma, Ryan, and Farzana are alumni following their dream of climbing Mt. Rainier this summer. They are using their climb as a benefit to raise money for Inspiring Girls Expeditions! Please donate in their honor!

Note: Please select "Girls on Ice Program Support" and in the "What most inspired you to give today?" select "other" and then type "Rainier Climb". All donations go directly to Inspiring Girls Expeditions and are tax deductible.

From left to right: Ryan, Emma, and Farzana on Girls on Ice Cascades 2015

Our Team

Hey, I'm Emma! I'm starting at Colorado School of Mines next fall to study geophysical engineering. I love spending time in the mountains climbing and skiing, and using adventure as a means of encouraging girls to explore their boundaries and expand their comfort zones. Stargazing with friends and a cup of cocoa is one of my favorite ways to pass the time!

Hi, I’m Ryan! I’m a sophomore at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. I’m a big fan of politics, empowering girls, and pacific northwest sunsets. My adventure essential is snacks, lots of snacks. One of the best lessons Girls on Ice taught me was about what to do when you fall (it transfers well to life, and what to do when you fail). I spent a lot of time in the Cascades tripping- on ice, rocks, and my own feet. There is a space between when you lose your balance and when you scramble to stand where you get to choose how you ground yourself again. I'll never master falling well, but I've learned that there's grace in the rebound.

Hey! I’m Farzana! I am going to be a sophomore at the University of Washington studying Bioengineering. I am super passionate about sailing on the UW Team, encouraging more girls to pursue STEM fields, and exploring the outdoors and catching spectacular sunsets with good company! Girls on Ice triggered an intense passion for exploring the outdoors and mountains in me, and it sparked a confidence and ambition I did not know I had to tackle every problem I face - physical, mental or emotional - with tenacity and grace. It has prepared me for facing one of the biggest challenges yet - climbing the tallest mountain in Washington state - and I intend to approach it with everything I have.

The 2015 Cascades team scaling Mt. Baker

Our Story

The three of us met on the Girls on Ice Cascades program in 2015 and we quickly became friends (and glacier-obsessed!). On one of our last nights on Mt. Baker, the clouds cleared enough that we could see the hazy outline of Mt. Rainier in the distance. We had only known each other for two weeks, but we joked that we would reunite someday on Rainier. After we went our separate ways, that joke turned into an email chain and finally a concrete plan. For two years, we’ve kept up a long distance friendship with messages and Skype calls spanning three hometowns and 3,000 miles.

The Goal

We are dedicating this climb to Inspiring Girls Expeditions! This organization is near and dear to us and we are inspired by our experience as well as the stories of those young women who will attend the programs this year. One girl who is about to join our sisterhood of mountain alumni this year is Neeta Kumari, from Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. She’s trying to change the path for girls in her village, and she’s one of the team members on a new program, Girls in Icy Fjords! The same summer that the three of us are taking on our biggest uphill distance yet, Neeta has an even bigger distance to travel. Inspiring Girls helped us in ways we can never repay, and in honor of its mission, we are here to back up the next amazing girls who need it. We’ll be making a summit attempt on Mt. Rainier in July and using our climb to share Neeta’s story. Our story is now about four girls, four hometowns, and many more miles. We would be honored if you would donate and follow along on our Rainier reunion and Neeta’s journey to join the Fjords team.